In 1993, when we
first started publishing this magazine, Azerbaijan was rarely
in the news except in the context of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Even then, it was always depicted as the aggressor despite the
fact that the entire war was being fought on its own territory.
Later, especially after the first major international oil contract
was signed in 1994, more articles began to appear in the context
of Azerbaijan's vast energy resources.

These days, many articles are
being written about the complexity of the region and the complications
of getting oil to international markets, especially Western markets.

With increased coverage comes
misinformation that gets repeated over and over. In this new
column, "Media Watch," Adil Baguirov calls attention
to some of the most flagrant errors.

Myth #1: The Armenian-Azerbaijani
war over Karabakh started in the city of Sumgayit (Azerbaijan).
Such misinformation has been perpetrated since the late 1980s.
In fact, many people probably first heard of Azerbaijan in relation
to what the press refers to as the "Sumgayit pogroms,"
when Azerbaijanis purportedly massacred peaceful Armenian residents
in the city of Sumgayit (near Baku) on February 28-29, 1988.
Armenian propaganda, which virtually shaped all early reports
about the conflict, was quick to blame the entire Azerbaijani
nation for these events and to inflate the numbers of casualties
to the high 60-70s, and even more. They claimed that all who
died were of Armenian ethnicity. They quickly labeled these victims
as the "first blood" of the renewed conflict over Karabakh.

However, the truth is quite
different. The Nagorno-Karabakh war is really about the aggression
of Armenia with one intention: acquisition of more territory.
The first casualties were really two Azerbaijani youths, Bakhtiyar
Uliyev, 16, and Ali Hajiyev, 23, shot dead on February 24, 1988
(i.e., before Sumgayit). But even prior to these murders, and
virtually unreported in the media, was the expulsion of thousands
of Azerbaijanis from Armenia, particularly from the Megri and
Kafan districts. The combination of both of these situations
is what really triggered the incidents in which a total of 32
people died, 6 of them Azerbaijani and 26 Armenian, according
to the official investigation reports.

However, even lesser known is
the fact that several Armenian nationals actively participated
in inciting the mob as did the KGB (who later confiscated all
relevant court materials and transferred several of the instigators
out of the republic). While the provocation and incrimination
of Azerbaijan and its people was largely successful by those
who masterminded the plot, it was not complete since Azerbaijani
people refused to participate in the atrocities and actually
were involved in saving the lives of many of their Armenian neighbors.
Otherwise, the casualties would, indeed, have been much higher
as Sumgayit has a population of 300,000.

Myth #2: Stalin gave
Karabakh to Azerbaijan.
This is a gross falsification; the truth is quite the opposite.
After the Soviets took over Azerbaijan in 1920, Azerbaijan began
losing territory to Armenia [see the map of the Azerbaijan Democratic
Republic (ADR) on page 30]. Azerbaijan's territory was reduced
from 114,000 sq km during ADR (1918-1920) to its present size
of 86,600 sq km, which is actually even less now if you subtract
the territory occupied by Armenians.

The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous
Oblast (NKAO) inside Azerbaijan was created on July 1923 after
years of intense debates and opposition from the Azerbaijani
people. An oblast, the Russian term for "province,"
was purely an administrative division, totally subordinate in
every aspect to the union republic, Azerbaijan SSR.

Carving out enclaves was deliberately
practiced in various Soviet republics to exacerbate ethnic tensions.
It served the Soviets well by distracting the republics from
seeking their own independence because they always had to be
occupied with ethnic tensions inside their own borders.

Myth #3: Stalin gave
Nakhchivan to Azerbaijan.
The truth is that Nakhchivan, just like Karabakh, is historically
part of Azerbaijan. After Soviets gained power (1920), the foundation
for Nakhchivan gaining its autonomy was laid by the Moscow and
Kars international treaties of March 16, 1921, and October 13,
1921, respectively. These treaties are still in force, stipulating
that Nakhchivan remain within Azerbaijan, a legal fact that prevented
the Soviets from giving Nakhchivan to Armenia at the time. The
status of "Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic (ASSR) ,"
being within Azerbaijan SSR was established in 1924. Nakhchivan
used to be "connected" to the rest of Azerbaijan through
the Zangazur district which was given to Armenia in December
1920. When the Soviets assigned this strip (46 km) to Armenia,
they separated Azerbaijan into two parts, effectively cutting
off Turkey from other Turkic-speaking peoples in Central Asia.

Zangazur was continuously "cleansed"
of its indigenous residents. In 1897, its Azerbaijani population
was 51.7%, but by 1926, it had declined to 6.4%. during the same
period, the ratio of Armenians increased from 46.1% to 87%! Tens
of thousands of Azerbaijanis had to flee for their lives at that
time in much the same way as they have had to flee from Nagorno-Karabakh
and surrounding districts in the 1990s.

Myth #4. Nagorno-Karabakh
is an independent Republic.
These days, this term is beginning to appear in the press along
with the acronym NKR. No nation in the world has recognized the
legitimate entity of Nagorno-Karabakh as a sovereign state.

In truth, this region has been
seized by separatists who are militarily occupying lawful Azerbaijani
territory. The international community, including the United
Nations, has repeatedly condemned the Armenian military occupation
of Azerbaijan's territory and demanded immediate and complete
"withdrawal of all occupying forces" since 1993.

In the guise of seeking independence
from Azerbaijan, Armenians are really attempting to attach Karabakh
to Armenia, by whatever means necessary. In March 1998, hard-liner
Robert Kocharyan, a resident of this disputed area and technically
an Azerbaijani citizen, was even elected as President of Armenia
in clear violation of international law.

A comparable analogy would be
if the state of Colorado, which does not even share a border
with Mexico, suddenly declared independence from the United States
and went to war to attach themselves to Mexico, and in the process
a Coloradan became the President of Mexico.

Back in December 1989, the parliament
of the Armenian SSR voted to annex the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh
to their own republic. This legislature is still on the books
and has not been rescinded even after the collapse of the Soviet
Union. The declaration was immediately proclaimed illegal by
both Azerbaijan SSR and USSR Supreme Soviet (Parliament), the
supreme legislative authority at that time. Legally, an autonomous
oblast (province) could not secede, especially without approval
of both the USSR and Azerbaijan Parliament. It is also important
to note that the Supreme Soviet of Azerbaijan legally abolished
the status of NKAO (Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast) on November
1991.

Some might dismiss these points
as trivial. Others might excuse them as simple negligence on
the part of the journalists. Nevertheless, as long as there is
preferential treatment of one side in the international mass
media over the other, conflicts will persist, and bitter feelings
will be perpetuated.

Adil Baguirov is deeply involved
with disseminating news about Azerbaijan via Habarlar-L (an Internet
list service, meaning "news" in Azeri). He currently
studies at the University of Southern California.